A tisket a tasket a basket

Hi Jamie, I had surgery July 19th and was on afull liquid diet for 3 weeks. I bought tons of things to try and the majority are still in the cupboards......I did SF jello...(loved letting it sit in the freezer to get slightly hard)....tons of SF popscycles (SP).....and lots of different flavors of SF koolaid (love tropical punch) and Crystal lite. Make sure you have a water bottle to take into every room you venture into. I bought my regular soups (veg beef) and strained them to sip the broth, also did decaf tea alot. If you are allowed milk (i had to drink 16 oz of it a day), i bought the Carb Countdown chocolate to drink instead of the white milk all the time. You can also drink SF hot chocolate. I had Lap RNY and did have a binder. I used it faithfully to keep my tummy in place as i was walking around. I took it off after 1 week, tore a muscle in my side getting up from bed, and believe me, the only time that binder was off after that was when i was showering, and then i couldn't wait to get it back on.....I wore it for a month. I would suggest you get one, it is difficult for some of us getting up and down from chairs, it will help keep your stomach area stabilized. As for your hubby, just tell him to take it one step at a time. THe actual surgery time was the hardest for my hubby. He was alone, so your hubby might want someone to come with him to the hospital. When you come home, he can help you in and out of your chair, in and out of the shower. Mine mainly had to help put that darn binder back on me tight enough. He can heat up your broth, and just generally do whatever he can. Mine did the housework for the first 4 weeks....and i mean all of it...lol.....I would be grouchy one day, depressed another, a real jekyl and Hyde......but my hubby survived.....and he knows how much i appreciated all he did for me........ ALso keep an ice pack on hand....it is good to use for small pains arond your surgery sites.....my doctor told me this and i was ready. and of course i sleep in the recliner with a pillow on my tummy for a week before i ventured to bed..... You will do fine . Good luck..... Patty

hi jaimee-its been a while since i have responded to your questions and such. school and work have made my days busy!!! i had my surgery on may 4th. in fact i took my semester finals on may3rd and then had my surgery the next day!!! then i had almost 5 weeks to recover between semesters. here are my answers to you always interesting questions. 1. this is what i had ready at home: i had already tasted different protein drinks. that way i wouldn't have a drink at home and then taste it for the first time and hate it, then worry that i would have to have someone run to GNC to get a different flavor. have fresh milk on hand. i always mixed my protein drinks with milk because it made them taste better and alittle more protein. skim or 1 % milk is best. then i had of course the usual sugar free koolaide. (i to found the crystal light in single servings) how much did you pay for the 30 pack? pre-packaged water, sugar-free jello , popcycles and pudding. bannana cream pudding tasted the best. broth soups. something else that doesn't have to do with food etc. have dial soap on hand. this is a very excellent product to wash your surgical area to prevent infections. we always use it on our post- cardiac bypass patients. and we hardly ever seen any type of infections!!! 2. its pretty hard to be very creative with liquids. i have heard of people liquidfying their food, but this isn't good. your pouch has to rest and if your putting "real food" into you pouch it may try to overwork and you may get sick. and believe me you don't want to vomit being a fresh post-op patient!!!!. you can eat sugar-free fat free ice cream, which means you could make a milkshake. i even made the milkshake with my protein drink blended in... 3. about the binder, i can't believe your insurance won't pay for a binder. i can see if you have lap rny why they won't pay for it. but a binder is the golden standard of care for ANYONE with a incision involving a abdominal incision!!!!! i hate the insurance companies. 4. reguarding your husband. i'm not married but i had to deal with my parents. he should have books or magazines with him, maybe snacks and drinks because it could get expensive to buy food in the machines or in the cafetaria. having a friend or family members with him might ease his anxiety. he should get up and walk around ever 20-30 minutes. streching is a good idea to keep the brain cells working. reguarding at home. like the others said house work must become his duty. it will be kind of hard to get dressed for a couple days. especially the bra bit!!! ouch!! and he should be near by when you get your showers especially while you have you staples intact. you could feel lightheaded or dizzy. DON'T SHOWER IN TO HOT OF WATER!!!!!!!!! have your kids and husband be your cheerleaders. get them to walk with you. i found walking 15-20 minutes at a time was good for me. you might get to tired if you try to walk any longer then this amount of time. you might not be to shy and tell him exactly what you want. like adjusting your pillows when your in bed. but don't become to dependent on him i know this is hard, but the more you do for yourself the better you will be!!!! well i hope this helps. if you have any questions for me just email me!!!! when is your surgery? i've been praying for you and all the people who will be having surgery soon. god bless and god speed!!!!!

hi sweetie! one of the imprtant things he will need is my phone number to let me know how you are!! i think everyone covered stuff very well- i did find that it was hard for me to drink cold water at first so i did better with lukewarm or with hot tea ( decaf) at first--then i was able to do sf posicles and eventually moved to sf fudgsicles!!!!! i have my binder- i can send it to you--i wore it at the hospital and at home for two weeks- doc took it off of me at my two week checkup--it's not a big deal but it felt good knowing it was there at first--i needed my hubby to put it on me to get it right , also! lotsa pillows and lotsa time to just have quiet--have your hubby understand taht any moodiness you may have ever exhibited before could be tenfold now!!!!!! still watching over you- just preoccupied a bit-looking at houses to buy--yes, mr noncommitment has decided it is time!!!!! angel hugs!

The only thing I don't see mentioned in all your responses is the little plastic GLAD-ware containers you can get at Walmart or most grocery stores. I got the 1/2 cup size -- which will be a typical serving size, and also the 2 cup size for leftovers. Once you get in to regular food, you will find these handy for all the leftovers you're bound to have.